Just some pre-Gen Con, and I’m assuming press day news that has caught my eye.

New Angeles is the latest addition to the Android universe. 

This plays four to six players in apparently 2-4 hours. 

It’s taking a different approach in this game where you are playing as the corps in the Android Universe. 

I’m not sure about getting this game, mainly due to the minimum number of players, and then if I do manage to find that many to play, the duration is long.

It will be interesting to see how this fits in with the story arc currently going on in the Android Universe. For instance the game Mainframe takes place in the 23 seconds that the largest bank in the Android universe goes dark, which the Flashpoint Cycle in Netrunner is exploring.

FFG announcement here
Asmodee announced today the unexpected first expansion for 7 Wonders Duel, the Pantheon expansion. The Gods are coming to Duel!

I wasn’t expecting this. Nath and I both love this game. So you can be sure I will be buying this when it comes out.

Not sure it needed an expansion, but more variety is always welcome. 

Asmodee announcement here

New Game of Thrones game! Shocker not happy with announcing one new Game of Thrones based game already (based on Cosmic Encounter for 3-5 players). FFG now present us with The Hand of the King.

A card game using lovely cartoon art work, it almost makes you think there was a cartoon of the books.

I can see myself getting this to play with Nath. I hope it is a good two player experience.

Announcement here 

Carcassonne Star Wars gets an expansion! 

I believe this adds another player, more tiles (for that player I assume) and weapons!

If you can read German you can get more info here

That’s it for now. I’m sure there will be more stuff breaking over the next day or so.

I've not done one of these for a few weeks, mainly because there has been very little out that has been of interest or grabbed my attention. As I said in a previous post it's the lull before the GenCon Storm that is next week.

With FFG announcing the app crippled second edition of Mansions of Madness at the end of last week, I was surprised to see that it's hitting the shelves of your FLGS next week. I'm glad I'm not intending to buy this albatross because it's going to set you back £93. So for a hundred quid you can get the game, a kebab and a can of pop!

FFG with the second item to catch my eye this week, and one I'm more likely to buy. Well ok I will buy, because I can use them to play with Nath. Oh what is it? They are releasing the two 2015 World Championship decks that the 2015 World Champion used. I'm going to treat these like Magic duel decks.

Finally one of the hottest games of the year will hit the shelves, having only just reached its Kickstarter backers, and that's Scythe from Stonemaier Games. The Collectors edition of this is going for around £100 at the moment with its pimped out components. So £60 isn't looking too bad. Compare it with that app crippled monstrosity Mansions of Madness, and it looks a bargain. Although I want Cry Havoc more, this is a close second.

Well that's the stuff that has caught my eye from the Asmodee Borg Collective controlled Esdevium. Don't forget 12% of these prices is due to Brexit. What's caught your eye for next week?

Posted by me using my iPad and the Blogsy app

So what effect has Brexit had on us gamers in the UK?

Well as this Yahoo Finance chart of the pound against the dollar shows the pound took what at best could be described as a dive.

So stuff being bought from the US via the likes of Kickstarter is going to cost more. Which for me means that the Hero Realms Kickstarter is costing me more than it was just over a week ago when it finishes later in the month.

Now you thought the oil companies were quick to put prices up when the cost of a barrel changed. They could learn a thing or two from Esdevium.

Q

Who very quickly seeing the impact Brexit had on the pound decided that they would need to increase the the price of the games they distribute to compensate. This will be the second price hike we have seen this year from Esdevium I believe.

Now my question is will Esdevium reduce the prices by the same amount if the pound recovers to pre-Brexit prices, just as quickly? Or even by more if it some how becomes even stronger?

Have they jumped the gun, and re-acted too early?

Would we be seeing these price rises if we actually had competition on the distribution of games in the UK?

We already feel that in the UK companies price gouge us on goods. Whether the evidence, economic argument supports this is another question. But when we see games costing a lot less in the US, it’s hard not to think we are subsidising that market with our higher prices.

So this new price hike does seem to be like rubbing salt into an already open wound, despite there being a legitimate financial argument for it to happen. As I have already asked, the only way for this not to be perceived as taking advantage of a situation to increase prices is that when the point recovers we see an similar drop in the price of games too.

Posted by me using my iPad and the Blogsy app

Finally after much nagging and a Twitter conversation I managed to get to the bottom of how my FLGS can get their hands on organised play kits for Epic and Star Realms from the distributor Esdevium. So hopefully we will be seeing some organised play for them real soon.

The observant will notice a new menu option that takes you to the details about the Ashes OP that I'm organising that is being held at my FLGS. The page has the OP details and a link to the official Plaid Hat event page.

On other news bgg have an Origins clip showing an early look at the amazing looking Tokaido app that is coming out Eisen time iirc. I'm definitely going to get that when it comes out.

Posted by me using my iPad and the Blogsy app